Seven days Ultimatum for Mugabe’s government

Coezette Chirinda spokesperson of Justice for Woman organisation during a press conference held in Harare yesterday condemned inhuman practices by police and gave a seven days ultimatum to the government to make sure that the Police officers who stripped and brutalised ladies in Kuwadzana during the Saturday National Electoral Reform Agenda led mega demo met justice.

“We condemn in the strongest terms the recent arrests and torture of women who participated in peaceful demonstrations on Saturday whilst pushing for electoral reforms. We have seen the results of the inhuman treatment that has been exerted on women,” said Chirinda.

On Monday when they appeared before the court, the ladies stripped to show evidence of what the Police did to them during the recent protest in Kuwadzana when they were taken into custody after standing for electoral reforms.

According to Coezette despite the fact that they were unlawfully detained the police stripped and tortured the women while the officers were taking alcohol on duty “These women were undressed whilst being assaulted and they have ghastly wounds on their bodies. These women were being freighted from one place to the next in a police truck full of drunken anti-riot police officers who took turns to assault them while making them lie on their tummies” she said.

Among those arrested is Linda Masarire of the TAJAMUKA movement, Beatrice Rusvara who was wounded by Police during the Saturday demonstrations and failed to breast feed her baby from Saturday till Monday when the court allowed her to breast feed the baby in Chikurubi Prison.
The organisation gave the government seven days to ensure that there is justice before they get into the streets.

She told journalists that women have to feel safe in the country but are failing to and that the violence is being perpetrated by the government “As women we should feel safe when the police is around because they are supposed to protect us. WE HAVE A RIGHT AS WOMEN TO FEEL SAFE IN OUR OWN COUNTRY. We will not sit and watch the normalisation of State violence on women going unabated. The GOVERNMENT must stop this violence against women forthwith and must ensure that the perpetrators are brought to book within the next seven days.”

Asked on what they are going to do if the government fail to respond to their petition in seven days Coezette said, “If they fail to respond we are going to take the law into our hands and go into the streets to demonstrate, let them strip, beat, and arrest us. We are also engaging other parties, organisations locally and internationally especially the United Nations.”

Justice for woman is an organisation set to draw a bead on making sure that woman receives justice in every aspect of their lives and give awareness of their constitutional rights.

The Police instead of being peace keepers, law enforcers and protecting the rights of citizens according to the constitution, has recently been vicious on protestor’s nationwide leading to unlawful arrests and brutality regardless of s_ex.